Thursday, April 14, 2011

Vacation in Mohammadia

After spending my time working at camp in Ben Slimane I traveled about an hour west to the coastal town of Mohammadia. I had plans to see a Moroccan friend of mine,Ilham, who lives there. I hadn’t seen her in a long time and missed her very much.

After getting off the bus I took there I was in awe of my surroundings. I had heard of Mohammadia many times, as it is near to where I live, but I really didn’t expect quite this much. There were incredible giant palm trees perfectly aligned and gorgeous landscaped grassy spots. The sidewalks were large and in charge and people were walking around sporting their beach gear.

When I met up with Ilham I thanked her for hosting me in such a beautiful place. After taking a little rest we headed out on the town. We firstly walked to the beach near her apartment and I quickly named it the best beach I had been to in Morocco. We ended up stopping for a coffee at a café right on the beach. Our chairs were parked right in the sand. It was a perfect time of late afternoon where the weather was perfect and a cool breeze was in the air.

Mohammadia is bigger than I thought and is a popular tourist destination for Moroccans who live somewhat near the area. Ilham said it is very busy in the summer when Moroccans who were living abroad come back to reclaim their living space near the beach. At the café I asked if many of the people we were sitting with were tourists. She said some were but many were locals. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have a daily occurrence of yours be having a coffee on the beautiful beach. Sounds so surreal.

We had dinner that night at a nice Italian restaurant. Normally I’m not up for splurging on food but I was really in the mood to treat myself. We at a pizza with scrimp on it and shared this incredible pasta dish that I can only say was very salty and garlicky. Two things that always make me happy. I actually think it was the best food I’ve ever eaten in Morocco.

Ilham and I enjoyed lots of nice conversation during our day and a half visit. It was so nice to catch up with her. She speaks more than perfect English due to it being a love of hers since her teens where she picked up lots of vocabulary and slang from movies.

I hope to go back to Mohammadia soon as it is so close and now I know that I love it there.